


Smile Like A Disguise

by paperwar



Category: Natsume Yuujinchou
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-21
Updated: 2011-06-21
Packaged: 2017-10-21 05:11:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/221291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperwar/pseuds/paperwar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Natsume has a simple question, but Natori can't give a simple answer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Smile Like A Disguise

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



"Yes," Natsume said. "That's right. Spells." He shoved his hands in his pockets and dropped his head. "I... was hoping you could teach me some."

He wished he hadn't asked until he and Natori had reached the cafe; instead he'd blurted out his question while they were walking down the street. It was embarrassing enough, asking Natori for help, and about this sort of thing in particular. But doing so while they were in public, with a small crowd, as usual, gathering around Natori at a not-so-discreet distance? Natsume found it excruciating. The spectators emitted a low murmur. Any minute now some teenage girls would shriek. Or maybe it would be Nishimura. Natsume still cringed to recall that incident.

Natori's eyes brightened. "You want to learn exorcist spells? I knew you'd see things my way, Natsume. Exorcism is just a tool. One of the few ones humans have against youkai." He clapped Natsume on the back, letting his hand rest there, and continued, "That's why it's a great idea for you--"

Natsume shrugged off Natori's hand. "I don't want to learn exorcism," he said. "I never agreed to learn exorcism. What I want are spells -- other spells -- that work on ayakashi."

Natori blinked. "Other spells?" He stopped in his tracks to consider, hand coming up to cup his chin in a manner so obviously staged that Natsume wanted to flee, just seeing the effect the pose had on the fans following them. Several of them pulled out cell phones to snap photos. Natsume pulled his hat down lower over his face and tugged Natori along.

"You know. Spells that might..." Natsume squirmed. "I don't know. Freeze youkai in place for a while. Or protect against them. Block them. Something like that."

Natori gave an airy laugh. Natsume glared. Natori let his carefully constructed public amusement ring out for a second longer than natural, then said, "Natsume, we don't do that sort of thing. Exorcists simply blast whatever's in our path. That's the safest way, Natsume."

Natsume stepped around a particularly bold photographer, who looked not like a fan, but as if he got paid to take poor-quality photos of minor celebrities. Not much longer now: the door of the cafe was just a few storefronts ahead; he recognized the name Natori had mentioned. Natsume said, "So you don't know any spells like that?"

Natori paused for a second to give the paparazzo a gleaming smile; the camera flash caused Natsume to rub his eyes. Just before they stepped into the cafe, Natori turned to give a genial wave and smile to everyone who'd followed them.

Once inside, Natori said, "I don't waste my time learning techniques I'm not going to use, Natsume." He laughed, and there was nothing of the charming movie star in it; this was grimmer: the jaded exorcist assessing his tools.

He guided them to a table; the server came over almost immediately. She blushed and stammered as they gave her their orders. Natori, back to burgeoning-idol mode as if a switch had been flipped, complimented her hair.

When she returned to the kitchen, Natsume said, moving his water glass in small circles on the table, "Do you... know anyone who might know those kinds of spells?"

Natori scowled. "If anyone's going to be teaching you anything, Natsume, it's going to be me."

Natsume froze for a moment in surprise. "I'm... I'm happy you want to teach me." His fingers snapped back to his water glass: circle, circle, circle on the tabletop again. "But if you don't know what I need to learn..."

Natori beamed. "Then I'll learn! We could learn together. In fact..." he said, leaning in, "we could go on a study trip together."

Something in his face made Natsume blush. "I don't think we need to go that far," he muttered. "You could just help me find a book with these kinds of spells." Surely there was an exorcist library somewhere.

"I'm sure I could dig up something." Natori folded his hands and sat back. "We should definitely practice together." There was that look again, like the kind Natori gave the fans outside; it was self-consciously sultry, like those ridiculous commercials he'd been in, the ones that had made Natsume and Nyanko-sensei laugh themselves silly.

"I'm going to bring Tanuma and Taki along, then," Natsume said, gritting his teeth. "Because they want to learn, too."

"Oh?" Natori's disappointment was plain. "I thought we could have some special sessions together, Natsume."

"I think it would work better with all of us."

Their food came, then: three kinds of cake (because Natori insisted the cafe's desserts were so good it was too difficult to only pick one each) and coffee. Natsume ate as quickly as possible, but Natori still managed to fit in several suggestive comments and more looks that made him cringe.

"Thanks for the cake," Natsume said, once they'd settled the bill and were back on the sidewalk. "I really have to go now."

"Oh?" Natori said. "You don't want to walk with me some more?"

Natsume made up a polite excuse and left in a hurry.

As he rushed in the opposite direction from Natori -- not caring that he was heading further away from his house and he'd have to circle back around -- foremost in his mind was the thought that he'd ask Taki about her grandfather's books. He'd brave another kimono youkai, or even a whole family of them, in order to avoid a study trip with Natori.


End file.
